Barcelona was the first Catalan stop for Pope Leo XIV on Tuesday, 9 June 2026, when he arrived at El Prat de Llobregat airport at 12:46pm. His flight was about 20 minutes behind schedule, and he was received at the corporate terminal by Catalan political and religious authorities.
The visit is the second stop on his trip to Spain and is due to end on Thursday with his arrival in the Canary Islands. It is the first papal visit to Barcelona in 16 years, after Benedict XVI visited the city on 6 and 7 November 2010. Pope Francis did not visit Barcelona during his pontificate.
For Barcelona and the wider Catalonia region, the visit carries clear symbolic weight for the Catholic community. The last papal trip to the city included Benedict XVI’s consecration of the Sagrada Família basilica, a moment that remains central to the city’s recent religious history.
The Vatican has not yet set out the full public impact of the visit in Catalonia, but the arrival has already drawn attention to the region’s links with the Holy See. Readers can follow more Catalonia coverage on our news page.